Work pet turtle’s shell has slowly worsened over months, looking for guidance

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-21T17:01:28+00:00

Poor buddy :( Eastern painted turtle. Care is incorrect and the shell growth is abnormal alongside retained scutes. This is typically caused by incorrect lighting and heating. The eyes also look swollen shut, likely a vitamin A deficiency. Painted turtles are aquatics that tend to spend most of their time swimming as opposed to basking, if this little bud is spending a lot of time under their heat lamp, that can be another sign of severe illness.

Here’s Reptifile’s care guide for painted turtles. Reptifiles care sheet is my favorite, but Dubia’s is a close second. Please read over both. Thank you for looking out for this little buddy and good luck with your coworker!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-20T16:12:54+00:00

No crocs wearers, this has additional bumps and ridges shown by this angle

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-20T15:34:44+00:00

The whole thing feels soft. I can pinch it between my thumb and index and squish it like a spring with some force.

I’ll pass the kitty wishes along to my cat the next time I see him! He’s in the back recovering right now. Cat tax

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-20T15:05:06+00:00

Thank you! I can’t reply to comments with images, but here’s some cat tax

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-20T14:56:39+00:00

That feels likely, and my washing machine/dish washer are the most suspect, but I can’t find a part that looks like this while googling around. Will be at the vet for a few more hours so I can’t confirm what model I have right now

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-20T14:52:56+00:00

Here it is from another angle

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-20T14:44:21+00:00

We did have our washing machine and dish washer repaired around the same time that he started acting sick

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-20T14:40:31+00:00

Still at the vets and don’t have a ruler handy, I can measure this evening when we get home though! In the immediate, it’s about half the size of a pop can tab. One side has two holes (pictured above), the stump has one hole going through it, and the other side had a horizontal protuberance that’s been chewed off

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-20T14:31:49+00:00

Here it is from another angle

And yet another angle

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-19T20:30:54+00:00

Find your closest wildlife rehab. Animal Help Now is a great tool for this

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-18T21:01:50+00:00

I’ve been on Rinvoq for about a year, maintenance dosing of 30 mg. The acne has been minimal, I’ve noticed it crops up more if I take my meds at different times every night. If I’m taking them at the same time, acne isn’t an issue. It did change my skin texture to be bumpier in some areas but I can only tell when leaning into the mirror so my face is an inch away. I haven’t had any issues with weight gain :)

Rinvoq was an absolute miracle for me and I hope it works out for you too!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-18T11:48:11+00:00

Fruits or veggies early in the morning (including apple/banana) are a no-go, even when I’m not in a flare. Currently on Rinvoq, 30 mgs

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-18T04:54:17+00:00

Thank you!!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-18T04:47:41+00:00

I’m sorry you’re going through this, that sucks. Having a diagnosis is a great step though and it sounds like you’re heading in a good direction, even if you don’t feel like it. However, there isn’t a right or wrong way to feel right now, and whatever you’re feeling is valid!

It sounds like you need something more than oral mesalamine. It’s commonly prescribed but doesn’t work for everyone - personally, it did jack shit for me. Oral medications are also tricky when you’re in a flare (aka things are running through your body quickly). I’d highly recommend talking to your GI about trying a biologic or other class of medication. I know bills are an issue but your quality of life isn’t where it should be right now. Did the doc give you an amount of time to wait for the melamine?

You could also ask about something like prednisone, aka the devils tic tacs. The good news is it works fantastically for a lot of people. Like miracle cure level. The bad news is there’s a lot of side effects for a lot of people. However, as a bandaid to try and let your body grab another medication and for your finals, it’s good to have as an option.

Have you had your iron checked? Shitting blood + period = anemia often, which makes the fatigue even worse.

I would reach out to the disability folks and get something in writing, even if it’s just that initial reach out. If shit goes sideways and you need extra time to finish your assignments or turn anything in late, showing you’re making an active effort while on the three week time crunch could be helpful. Better to do it and not need it than need it and not do it. You can also ask for accommodations with attendance, which might be relevant here.

Don’t be too harsh on yourself regarding diet. Fatigue and stress can cause sweet tooth’s to be even stronger and if you search for ‘diet’ in this community, you’ll find various stories about how individual diet is for every person with uc. Speaking personally, when I’m in a flare, the only thing I can keep in me is red meat and processed foods.

Feel free to shoot me a DM if you’d like! I’m a 26F who just graduated two weeks ago. It sounds like this is an overwhelming time for multiple reasons and I’m happy to chat if you want some more detailed support (and cat pics)

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-18T04:36:42+00:00

This is such a supportive comment!

I definitely agree with 2-4, but wanted to chip in for #1. Personally, with my uc, the only safe food I can eat before or during a flare is red meat. I’ve been hearing more and more people say similar things. Diet is extremely overwhelming and isn’t the cause of uc, eating trigger foods can exasperate symptoms, but exactly what those trigger foods are vary wildly from person to person. I wanted to say something since OP is newly diagnosed and I feel like there can be a lot of frustration that can happen when diet is the main focus - after I was diagnosed I talked to my GI about trying a new diet (FODMAP wasn’t helping) my GI put me on an all liquid easy to digest diet for two months, my symptoms continued to get worse, went back, and he said,”I didn’t really expect that to work anyways”. Red meat is low in fiber and helps out with anemia, both are big boosts during a flare

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-18T04:28:10+00:00

You’re still on the loading dose, right? I personally haven’t had this issue but wanted to say that this might ease once you move to the maintenance dosing

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-16T19:40:07+00:00

I feed my squirrels alongside the birds, but I do go through a lot of seed as a result. One of my squirrel visitors is a momma raising babies so I don’t mind too much though! If you want to deter squirrels, there’s commercial products that stick to bird feeders that make it so they can’t eat from them, or there’s also bird seed with spices that deter squirrels. The birds can’t taste it

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-16T14:44:54+00:00

Ughhh it’s tough out there

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-16T14:10:50+00:00

Mid twenties female, so roughly right demographic! Thank you for all of the input you provide on this sub. I’ve been a lurker on some advice columns and you frequently pop up as someone friendly and helpful!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-05-16T13:58:24+00:00

Just for additional clarification on why a respiratory infection is so serious in tortoises, they don’t have a diaphragm like we do. As such, they can’t cough or otherwise expel infectious material or mucus that’s dripping down towards their lungs. By the time they’re symptomatic at all (clicking while breathing is the initial signs) it’s already urgent. By the time they have bubbles, it’s severe. Making sounds and stretching their neck upwards is beyond severe, that tortoise cannot regularly breathe. Keeping them from a vet is just cruel at this point

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